Thermometer - Bath, Fahrenheit, circa 1920

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Summary:: Bath thermometer, circa 1920. It was used to monitor the temperature of patient's bath water at a mental health hospital in Victoria, Australia. Bath temperature had to be between 85 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. This thermometer is an example of equipment used for bathing in psychiatric hospitals in Victoria, Australia.
Description:: Bath thermometer in wooden float. Thermometer and cardboard gauge are inside a glass tube which is set inside a small float, shaped like a one-handled flat-sided hollow rolling pin. Handle end has a nail-hole for hanging the thermometer. In the centre is a round-ended oblong hole, through which to view the thermometer. At the bottom is a smaller round hole, exposing the end of the thermometer.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Office of Psychiatric Services

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	25.50 cm (Height), 3.00 cm (Width), 3.00 cm (Length)

Tagged with:	psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric services, hospitals, bathing, hygienic products
Themes this item is part of:	Psychiatric Services Collection, Medicine in Society Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection
Primary Classification:	MEDICINE & HEALTH
Secondary Classification:	Mental Health - Institutional Life
Tertiary Classification:	ablutions
Inscriptions:	Indicator chart is printed on cardboard gauge beside thermometer (partly obscured by slipping sideways inside tube).
Place & Date Used:	Victoria, Australia, circa 1920
References:	Pearce, Evelyn "Instruments, Appliances and Theatre Technique", Faber and Faber Ltd. 1950.